Page 5 - The Friday Flyer ● April 13, 2018

APRIL 13, 2018 THE FRIDAY FLYER A-5

New sewer rates coming for EVMWD customers

Beginning July 1, EVMWD custom- apply sewer costs more accurately based
ers will have new sewer rates. Currently, on each home’s expected flow to the
EVMWD customers pay a flat, fixed rate sewer system.
for sewer service, which covers ongo- Q: Do we get penalty charges for
ing system maintenance, administrative, flushing more, showering more, etc.?
and facility costs. It doesn’t account for A: No. Sewer rates are based on the
the impacts that households have on the variable sewer rate structure for the
sewer system. The most significant im-
pact comes from the number of people number of people in the home. Although
living in each home. your sewer bill may not increase due to
To more accurately reflect the costs increased water use, the more water you
of providing sewer service, EVMWD’s use may cause you to go over your wa-
Board of Directors adopted a new resi- ter budget, which would result in being
dential rate structure. The new structure PHOTO BY DONNA RITCHIE charged more for water use.
reduced the fixed charge, and now in- Q: My kids are in diapers, why do I
cludes a variable rate based on the num- have to pay extra sewer charges when
ber of people living in the home. The they are not yet contributing to the flow?
variable charge covers the cost to collect A: Indoor water use contributes to
and transport sewage to the treatment mine your rate, visit EVMWD’s website home with less people? house sewer flows, and can often in-
plant, treatment chemicals, and waste or contact Customer Service. A: Indoor water budgets allocate 55 crease with young children in the home.
disposal. As a public service provider, EVM- gallons per person, per day. Generally The more people there are in the home,
The new, lower fixed rate will be WD can only charge its customers for the more people in the home, the more
$20.29 per month. The variable rate will the costs associated with providing ser- water a home needs. The same theory the more you are likely contributing to
be $6.93 per month for each person in vice. The District cannot earn a profit. applies to sewer service, where an in- the sewer system, with more baths and
the home. For example, a four-person By restructuring sewer service rates crease in the number of people in the showers, etc.
household would pay $27.72 (4 people from fixed to variable, EVMWD ensures home means an increased flow to the Q: Is EVMWD the first to charge for
times the variable rate of $6.93), plus the the lowest feasible costs for its custom- sewer system. sewer services this way?
fixed rate of $20.29, for a total sewer bill ers which accurately reflect the cost of Q: Could my sewer costs go down A: EVMWD is one of many local
of $48.01. providing services. under the variable rate structure? agencies to adopt a variable rate struc-
The Canyon Lake monthly residen- Questions and Answers A: Yes, some people will see their ture for sewer service. Many agencies
tial capital sewer surcharge of $12 (40 Here are questions and answers sup- sewer bill decrease under the new rate charge block rates based on the volume
cents per day) per 30 days billing cycle plied by EVMWD. structure, depending on the number of of water a customer consumes.
remains the same. Q: How does EVMWD measure what people in their household. Q: Does the variable rate structure ap-
Customers who wish to update their goes into the sewer? Q: We have a large family but we are ply to all EVMWD sewer customers?
person per household number can log on A: Although EVMWD cannot mea- very water efficient. Why do we have to A: All residents with sewer service
to evmwd.com/2018sewer and submit sure the sewer flow from each individual pay a higher amount if we are not using
an online request or can call EVMWD home, the variable sewer rate structure is more water than smaller households? in the EVMWD service area will be
Customer Service at 951-674-3146. Per- designed to reflect the amount of waste A: It is good to be water efficient. charged under the new variable sewer
son per household number will not take each home contributes to the sewer sys- However wastewater is comprised of rate structure.
effect until July 1. tem based on the indoor water budget waste and water. A home’s sewer flow Q: What can I do to learn more about
Adjusting your household number for and the number of people in the home. reflects the number of people in the my sewer rates?
the variable sewer will also affect your Q: How does EVMWD know I’m home, not how much water you save. To learn more about sewer rates, call
household water budget. To help deter- sending more waste to the sewer than a EVMWD’s tiered rates are designed to 951-674-3146 or visit evmwd.com.